


Softly Burning Through the Night

by candysams



Series: 12 Days of Banana Fish-mas [2]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: 12 Days of Banana Fish-Mas, Christmas, Fluff, M/M, One-Shot, day 3: fireplace, just let them be happy okay, the softest asheiji
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 09:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candysams/pseuds/candysams
Summary: It's a cold December night in New York City, but their apartment has never felt warmer.Written for Day 3: Fireplace of 12 Days of Banana Fish-mas (hosted by @/softaslans on twitter)





	Softly Burning Through the Night

It was late when Ash returned, his coat buttoned up to his chin and a blue scarf covering the bottom half of his face. Still, he could tell the tip of his nose and tops of his cheeks were probably frozen red from the harsh December wind.

“Eiji, I’m back.” Ash quietly announced, not wanting to wake Eiji in case he was already asleep. He peeled his outer layer of clothing off slowly, hanging it on the coat rack to dry. The snow hadn’t been surprising, just a nuisance—melting on his clothes and in his hair only to freeze again at the next gust of wind.

Eiji didn’t respond, so Ash set out to find him. The first place he checked was their room, which was dark and empty. Ash noticed a pile of his sweaters left on Eiji’s bed, all neatly folded by Eiji’s kind hands. Ash grabbed a blue knit sweater out of the pile and slipped it on over his button-down before continuing his search.

He found Eiji in the den where the fireplace was, the remaining flame casting an orange glow around the room. Eiji had pushed the coffee table out of the way, freeing up a space on the plush rug in front of the couch for him to sit with nothing obstructing the warm path between him and the fire. As Ash grew closer, he noticed that Eiji was asleep, slumped against the couch with his cheek pressed against the cushions. Ash sighed, moving in between Eiji and the source of the dim lighting. As much as he enjoyed the warmth of the flames on the back of his frozen calves, Eiji would have a sore neck and back in the morning if he continued to sleep like that. There was also a small chance of the apartment burning down if he let the fire live through the night just because Eiji had fallen asleep without a blanket.

Ash crouched, securing one arm behind Eiji’s back and the other under his knees. He pulled him up onto the couch with a little struggle, wondering if Eiji managed to weigh more than him despite his shorter stature. The awkward movement jostled Eiji too much and the older teen stirred awake, brown eyes blinking open to meet Ash’s gaze.

“Ash, okaeri.” Eiji sleepily said, pulling his feet up onto the couch with him and dropping his chin onto his knees. Ash noticed he was wearing one of his sweaters, the bright green one Eiji had claimed made Ash’s eyes stand out and was perfect for the Christmas season. Ash had blushed when he first said that and refused to wear the sweater again, leaving it buried under the other clothes in his drawer. Well, at least until Eiji had dug it out. “You’re late today.”

“My taxi almost got stuck in the snow.” Ash explained. “You didn’t have to stay up so late, you should go to bed.”

“I wanted to.” Eiji replied with a yawn. He reached out with half-open eyes and poked Ash’s frozen nose. He frowned, staring down at the pad of his finger before pressing his warm palms against Ash’s red cheeks. “You’re freezing.”

“Yeah, it started snowing an hour ago.” Ash said, cheeks growing warm at Eiji’s touch.

“Warm up in front of the fire.” Eiji mumbled, tugging Ash down onto the couch next to him. Ash chuckled, letting Eiji rub his cheeks with his hands until he was satisfied that they were no longer cold to the touch. Then he reached for Ash’s hands, which had been saved from the worst of the wind by a thin pair of black gloves. Still, their temperature seemed to dissatisfy Eiji, who promptly shoved them up the front of his sweater.

It took all of Ash’s self-control not to whip his hands away and run, and he probably would have if his brain wasn’t moving so sluggishly. Eiji always seemed to have that effect on him, dulling his quick reflexes and sharp senses with an overwhelming feeling of safety. He let Eiji press his cold fingers to the warmth of his stomach, feeling the muscles tense at the first touch. Eiji gasped, seeming surprised at the cold touch despite being the one to make the decision, but he quickly relaxed as the temperature in Ash’s fingers rose. Ash could feel him relax, the strong muscles turning soft under his hands.

Ash thought the softness suited Eiji better.

With both of his hands preoccupied with Ash’s under his sweater, Eiji nuzzled the side of his face against Ash’s red cheek to gauge the change in temperature. “You’re warming up now!” He proudly said, happy to help Ash in even the smallest of ways.

With Eiji holding him close, Ash had no choice but to lean slightly onto the Japanese. That seemed to be Eiji’s end goal, shifting his position so he was turned towards Ash. Ash was tired, so he let his head drop, his face falling onto Eiji’s shoulder.

“Ah! Your nose is still cold!” Eiji flinched when Ash’s nose touched the bare skin above his collarbone. Ash laughed, rubbing his cold nose up Eiji’s neck. “Stop! Ash!” Eiji squealed, his hands tangling with Ash’s and getting caught in the sweater as he squirmed, trying to push Ash’s face away.

“But Eiji, I’m cold.” Ash sniffed, giving Eiji the best pout he could muster. He wormed his arms around Eiji’s torso, hands still under his sweater, keeping his warmth close

“Fine!” Eiji pulled Ash towards him again, pressing his face into the soft wool of the green sweater. He shifted his legs, worming one under Ash’s thigh and stretching the other one over Ash’s hip so that they were more comfortable in their shared space. “Better now?”

Ash could feel Eiji’s heartbeat through the fabric, always strong and rhythmic. “Better.” Ash nodded. “You’re very warm, Eiji.”

“I’ve been sitting here for hours.” _Hours waiting for you_ , he didn’t say, but Ash heard it loud and clear in his mind.

“Thank you, Eiji.” Ash mumbled. The overwhelming warmth enveloping him from the outside-in made him sleepy.

He woke up with his head on Eiji’s chest, stretched out across the couch with the older teen. The embers still glowed in the fireplace, even as dawn began to set in.

**Author's Note:**

> Is the fire still burning at the end a metaphor for Ash and Eiji's love? Perhaps.  
> Fluff really is chicken soup for the asheiji soul.
> 
> Check out @/softaslans and her 12dobfmas prompts [here](https://twitter.com/softaslans/status/1066057975431860226)!
> 
> Come yell at me on [tumblr](https://candysams.tumblr.com/) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/candysamstwit)!


End file.
